The Modern Day Temple

The Holy Spirit
Written By Tommy Smith

Sermon Notes

Your Body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit
Honoring God with Your Body!

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

1 Corinthians 3:16-17… Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19… Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TEMPLE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

  • The temple Solomon built would have cost between 3-6 billion dollars today!

  • No iron tools were used on sight in the building of the temple… 1 King 6:7

  • When the people returned from exile the new temple was not as nice as the old… Ezra 3:12

  • Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple… Mt. 24:1-2

WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

  • Amazingly, believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit… 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19-20; 1 Peter 2:45;

  • We see hints of the indwelling Spirit in the Old Testament… Ezekiel 36:26-27

  • Believers are no longer their own… 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 1 Peter 1:18-19

  • Too many believers revere church buildings, but not their own bodies!

DO NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

  • We want to be very careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit… Eph. 4:25-32

  • One of the easy ways to grieve the Spirit is by the words we speak… Eph. 4:29-31

  • Believers are called to be tenderhearted toward people… Eph. 4:32; 1 Peter 3:8

  • The Israelites often grieved the Lord… Is. 63:9-10

  • Pastor Tom Buck has said, “Some people talk about sin like it’s a traffic ticket violation instead of a full blown insurrection against a holy God.”

OUR BODIES ARE MEANT TO BE PLACES OF CONTINUAL WORSHIP

  • We are to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God… 1 Peter 2:4-5

  • The spiritual sacrifice of prayer… Psalm 141:2; Rev. 5:8

  • The spiritual sacrifice of praise… Heb. 13:15

  • The spiritual sacrifice of thanksgiving… Ps. 50:32; 107:21-23

  • The spiritual sacrifice of obedience… Micah 6:6-8

  • We are to glorify God with our bodies… 1 Cor 6:20

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  • What are some subtle ways we might grieve the Holy Spirit?

  • What dangers exist when we lose sight that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit?

  • Do you agree with the quote, “Some people talk about sin like it’s a traffic ticket violation instead of a full blown insurrection against a holy God.”

  • What are some practical ways we can glorify God with our bodies?

Tommy Smith
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